Student safety is always a top priority. Those of us who are part of an older generation remember practicing fire and tornado drills back when we were in school. 

Back then, those were worst-case scenarios. Times have changed, and so have the nature of our emergency drills. Currently, the Indiana Department of Education requires all school corporations to facilitate one manmade disaster drill, such as an intruder exercise, per semester. It is unfortunate that we have to prepare for such a possibility. However, we work to do everything in our power to empower students and staff in the event of a threat to their security.

In the coming weeks, all schools will conduct a Run, Hide, Fight emergency drill. Students will remain in locked classrooms with lights off while staying away from windows and doors. Students and staff will practice their plan and possible escape route.

If escape is not an option, students will be taught to hide out of the shooter’s view. Teachers will practice locking or barricading doors to their hiding place. The drill should last no longer than 20 minutes.

Before the drill occurs, families will receive notifications of the exercise via school newsletters, social media and automated calls. We want parents and caretakers to have all of the pertinent information before we introduce their children to the drills.

We are thankful for the Perry Township School Police Department, which has worked hard with each school to help them make an appropriate emergency plan to fight intruders and protect our students. Planning for the drill has allowed police to re-familiarize themselves with school personnel and the differences of each building.

We hope and pray we never need to use the lessons from these exercises. However, the reality is that we want our students and staff to have a greater chance at staying safe in the face of a threat.

Families should keep an eye out for more information on the exercise in the coming weeks. Anyone who has questions about Run, Hide, Fight should contact their child’s school.  
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As always, we are committed to keeping every student safe while in our care. 

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward, author.

The collective heart of our community is full after bearing witness to the grand opening of Falcon Stadium. It was a historic Friday night at Perry Meridian High School, and it brought thousands of people to our humble, little corner of the city. Therefore, it feels necessary to express our sincerest gratitude to everyone who contributed to our success.

Last Friday began differently. Well before the sun rose, students and staff arrived outside of the school with an excitement usually reserved for Christmas morning. They eagerly greeted a news reporter and photographer with a memorable display of Falcon pride on live television.

In the afternoon, Perry Meridian Middle School students made the trek from their school to the high school to participate in a pep rally and to get a sneak peek of the new stadium. Their enthusiasm and admiration were palpable as they cheered on the student-athletes who they adored and admired posters of their favorite senior athletes that adorn the outside of the stadium. 

It was moving to see the future of PMHS interacting with their heroes who play on the football team, cheer on the sidelines and play in the band. Their show of support set the tone for what was to come later that day.

Before kickoff we were honored to make it official by cutting the ribbon at the stadium’s entrance. Also, during a pregame ceremony we recognized the team effort that was required to make this dream a reality. We were humbled by the presence of so many people who made this milestone possible, including representatives of the Ray Skillman Auto Group, Mike Mullinaro and Greg Puckett, as well as representatives of Ray Skillman Construction, Brad Skillman and Victor Landfair. 

We were so proud to welcome Mayor Joe Hogsett, who stood at the podium and shared our awe of the history-making moment. We also gave credit to the board members, administrators, athletes, athletics directors and coaches – past and present – who advocated to give the Falcons a home of their own.
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Whether you “bleed” Falcon blue or Cardinal red, we believe that this grand opening is a milestone of which our entire community can be proud. It took support and encouragement from all of Perry Township to make this happen. We achieved this together. We look forward to continuing this celebration together when the Falcons and Cardinals compete Friday, Sept. 1. Wear your school colors and show your spirit.

We would like to extend a heartfelt welcome to the students and staff of Perry Township Schools for the 2017-18 school year. We are already off to an exciting and busy start.

Our student body continues to grow. Enrollment has increased to 16,130 – an uptick of 707 students compared to this time last year. We are thankful to our principals, teachers, staff and the transportation department for making the necessary adjustments to ensure that everyone’s needs are met. We are blessed that we have the ability to welcome so many students into our classrooms.

Our schools are able to accommodate so many newcomers thanks to the construction of 26 new classrooms and four kindergarten academies. These additions made it possible for us to not utilize portable classrooms, so students now stay inside their buildings.

These new spaces would not be possible without the generosity of our kindhearted community, whose tax dollars support our district. This week we have invited the community to see how its generosity is making a difference. The staff at Homecroft and Jeremiah Gray kindergarten academies hosted open houses earlier this week. Rosa Parks and Douglas MacArthur are holding open houses from 4:30-6:30 p.m. today and Thursday, respectively. Our guests can enjoy refreshments while taking tours of the facilities.

Our community is also invited to join us at the grand opening of Falcon Stadium at Perry Meridian High at 5 p.m. Friday.  The boys in blue will kick off at 7 p.m. against Greenwood. The football team is rooting for a full house when playing its first home game on its turf. We appreciate the Ray Skillman Family for making this long-awaited dream a reality.

The addition of Falcon Stadium also marks a new beginning for Southport High’s football team. On Friday, Sept. 22, the Cards will officially rename their stadium to Cardinal Stadium. A special ceremony will commemorate the name change before the game. The kickoff against Franklin Central is at 7 p.m. We will share additional details once plans are finalized.

We have unveiled new websites for the district and every school. We are working hard to improve communication with our families. We want to make it easier for them to find information, and we want the user’s experience to feel intuitive, not frustrating. Lastly, we want the formats to be consistent from site to site. If a parent finds information on one school’s site, they should be able to locate the same information in the same place on another school’s site. It is important to create a similar experience across the board.
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To view our websites or to find more information about upcoming events, go to perryschools.org.